WO2022226703A1

WO2022226703A1 - Software module deployment method, apparatus, computing device, and storage medium

Info

Publication number: WO2022226703A1
Application number: PCT/CN2021/089706
Authority: WO
Inventors: 张传雨; 李冬; 杨晓波; 王同舟; 康尧磊; 张健勇
Original assignee: 西门子股份公司; 西门子（中国）有限公司
Priority date: 2021-04-25
Filing date: 2021-04-25
Publication date: 2022-11-03
Also published as: EP4318214A1; CN117063153A

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a software module deployment method, an apparatus, a computing device, and a storage medium. A software module deployment method, which comprises: a management device obtains a self-description file of at least one edge device, the self-description file at least describing a software runtime environment and hardware resource information of the edge device; on a graphical interface of a graphical management tool of the management device, a software module mirror is deployed on an appropriate edge device, and a connection relationship between different software module instances deployed on the edge device is established; the management device automatically allocates to every software module instance on an edge device port numbers to be used when actually communicating; and a configuration file is generated according to the software module instances deployed on every edge device, the connection relationship between different software module instances on an edge device, and port numbers.

Description

Software module deployment method, apparatus, computing device, and storage medium

technical field

The present disclosure generally relates to the technical field of the Industrial Internet of Things, and more particularly, to a software module deployment method, apparatus, computing device, and storage medium.

Background technique

In industrial scenarios, edge computing plays an increasingly important role. Compared with cloud servers, edge devices are closer to the data source. Using edge devices as a platform for data processing can provide faster response and better security.

Microservices, as an architecture for organizing software applications, are also widely used due to their outstanding flexibility and scalability. Deploying microservices on edge devices has become a common implementation method in the current IoT field and can solve many technical problems.

There are currently some container editing tools to deploy microservice programs. For example, Docker is a commonly used container, and common container editing tools based on Docker include Docker Compose and Docker Swarm.

Docker Compose and Docker Swarm are capable of deploying microservices, but are still complex. Users need to edit configuration files, and when there are a large number of microservices, the dependencies between microservices and devices can be easily confused.

In addition, the application of edge computing and microservices in the industrial field is very different from that in the consumer field, where there are more restrictions. For example, there are many different field data that cannot be communicated directly with the IP network, and sometimes the requirements for real-time are very strict.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following presents a brief summary of the present invention in order to provide a basic understanding of certain aspects of the invention. It should be understood that this summary is not an exhaustive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key or essential parts of the invention nor to limit the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is discussed later.

In view of this, the present invention proposes a software module deployment method and device, which uses a graphical management tool to establish a dependency relationship between an edge device and a software module image, and automatically converts the dependency relationship into a configuration file, which can be based on Profiles actually deploy software modules on edge devices.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a software module deployment method is provided, including:

The management device acquires a self-describing file of at least one edge device, where the self-describing file at least describes hardware resource information and software operating environment of the edge device;

On the graphical interface of the graphical management tool of the management device, deploy the software module image on an appropriate edge device and establish a connection relationship between different software module instances deployed on the edge device;

The management device automatically assigns each software module instance deployed on the edge device a port number to be used for actual communication; and

The configuration file is generated according to the software module instance deployed on each edge device, the connection relationship between different software module instances on the edge device, and the port number.

In this way, the dependencies between software modules and edge devices can be graphically described, and communication port numbers can be automatically assigned, so that configuration files can be automatically generated based on the graphically described dependencies for container deployment, saving Lots of work to write config files.

Optionally, in an example of the above aspect, the software module deployment method further includes: according to the configuration file, using a container editing tool to actually install the software module image on the management device on the edge device, and establish the edge device. Connection relationships between instances of software modules on

In this way, software modules can be deployed based on the generated configuration file using existing container editing tools.

Optionally, in an example of the above aspect, deploying the software module image on an appropriate edge device includes: based on the hardware resource information and software operating environment of the edge device, the software module image in the management device is used for hardware and at least one of the requirements of the software and user requirements to deploy the software module image on the appropriate edge device.

Optionally, in an example of the above aspect, deploying the software module image on an appropriate edge device includes at least one of the following:

Deploying a software module image that requires specific hardware resources on the edge device with the specific hardware resources;

Deploy a software module image capable of implementing communication protocol conversion for edge devices that cannot be connected to IP networks; and

Deploy software module images with real-time requirements on edge devices with real-time computing capabilities.

In this way, it is possible to adapt to the specific needs of edge devices and software modules in industrial applications.

Optionally, in an example of the above aspect, the software module deployment method further includes: displaying, on the graphical interface, the running status, connection relationship and port number of the software module instance installed on the edge device.

In this way, the deployment and running status of software modules can be monitored intuitively.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for deploying a software module on an edge device is provided, comprising:

The edge device provides its self-describing file to the management device, and the self-describing file at least describes the hardware resource information and software operating environment of the edge device;

The edge device receives and installs the software module image deployed by the management device; and

The installed software module instance runs communication through the port number assigned by the management device.

Optionally, in an example of the above aspect, the method further includes: the edge device reporting the running state of the software module instance to the management device.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a software module deployment apparatus is provided, which is set on a management device, including:

A self-describing file obtaining unit is configured to obtain a self-describing file of at least one edge device, where the self-describing file at least describes hardware resource information and software operating environment of the edge device;

The deployment unit is configured to deploy the software module image on the appropriate edge device and to establish the connection between the different software module instances deployed on the edge device on the graphical interface of the graphical management tool of the management device according to the user's instruction relation;

a port number assignment unit configured to automatically assign each software module instance deployed on the edge device a port number to be used for actual communication; and

The configuration file generating unit is configured to generate a configuration file according to the software module instance deployed on each edge device, the connection relationship between different software module instances on the edge device, and the port number.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an edge computing system is provided, comprising: a management device and at least one edge device, wherein the management device deploys a software module on the at least one edge device according to the method described above.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computing device comprising: at least one processor; and a memory coupled to the at least one processor, the memory for storing instructions, when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor When executed by the processor, the processor is caused to execute the method as described above.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed, cause the machine to perform the method as described above.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer program comprising computer-executable instructions which, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform the method as described above.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium and comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause at least one A processor executes the method as described above.

Description of drawings

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more easily understood with reference to the following description of the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The components in the drawings are merely intended to illustrate the principles of the invention. In the drawings, the same or similar technical features or components will be denoted by the same or similar reference numerals. In the attached picture:

1 is a flowchart of an exemplary process of a software module deployment method executed on a management device according to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of an exemplary process of a method for deploying a software module on an edge device according to a second aspect of an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a block diagram of an exemplary configuration of a software module deployment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a block diagram of an exemplary configuration of an edge computing system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of a computing device 500 for implementing software module deployment in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Among them, the reference numerals are as follows:

100: Software module deployment method S102, S104, S106, S108, S110, S112:

Steps

200: Method for deploying software modules on edge devices S202, S204, S206, S208: steps

300: Software module deployment device 302: Self-describing file acquisition unit

304: Deployment unit 306: Port number allocation unit

308: Configuration file generation unit 310: Installation unit

312: Monitoring unit 400: Edge computing system

402: Management devices 404-1, 404-2: Edge devices

406-A, 406-B, 406-C: software module image 408-A, 408-B, 408-C: software module real

example

502: Processor 504: Memory

500: Computing Equipment

Detailed ways

The subject matter described herein will now be discussed with reference to example implementations. It should be understood that these embodiments are discussed only to enable those skilled in the art to better understand and implement the subject matter described herein, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection, applicability, or examples set forth in the claims. Changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements discussed without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Various examples may omit, substitute, or add various procedures or components as desired. For example, the methods described may be performed in an order different from that described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Additionally, features described with respect to some examples may also be combined in other examples.

As used herein, the term "including" and variations thereof represent open-ended terms meaning "including but not limited to". The term "based on" means "based at least in part on". The terms "one embodiment" and "an embodiment" mean "at least one embodiment." The term "another embodiment" means "at least one other embodiment." The terms "first", "second", etc. may refer to different or the same objects. Other definitions, whether explicit or implicit, may be included below. The definition of a term is consistent throughout the specification unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In an edge computing system, three hardware devices are usually included: an edge hub (Edge Hub), an edge management device (Edge Master) and an edge device.

The edge hub is a cloud platform for remote management and monitoring; the edge management device is the master node for users to manage container images, and describe microservice dependencies, constraints, and generate configuration files; the edge device is the real device for executing microservices surroundings.

The method according to the present invention mainly involves an edge management device (hereinafter referred to as a management device) and an edge device. On the edge management device, a graphical management tool is used to establish a dependency relationship between the edge device and the software module image, and This dependency is automatically converted into a configuration file, which in turn can actually deploy software modules on edge devices according to the configuration file.

The software module deployment method according to the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The software module deployment method according to the present invention involves both the management device and the edge device. FIG. 1 is a flowchart of an exemplary process of a software module deployment method 100 executed on a management device according to the first aspect of the embodiment of the present invention.

First, in step S102, the management device receives a self-describing file of at least one edge device, where the self-describing file at least describes hardware resource information and software operating environment of the edge device.

A management device may be associated with multiple edge devices, and each edge device has a self-describing file. The self-describing file describes the hardware resource information and software running environment of the edge device itself, such as supporting fieldbus (such as PROFINET), process image, etc.

Next, in step S104, on the graphical interface of the graphical management tool of the management device, deploy the software module image on an appropriate edge device and establish a connection relationship between different software module instances deployed on the edge device .

A plurality of software module images are stored on the management device and displayed on the graphical interface of the graphical management tool of the management device. The graphical management tool is software that is pre-developed and stored on the management device, and the present invention does not describe or limit the graphical management tool in detail.

Software module images can be installed on appropriate edge devices as needed. According to the method of the present invention, firstly, on the graphical interface of the graphical management tool, the software module image is virtually deployed on an appropriate edge device.

Wherein, the software module image can be virtually deployed on the edge device based on at least one of hardware resource information and software operating environment of the edge device, hardware and software requirements of the software module image in the management device, and user requirements. on the appropriate edge device.

Specifically, when deploying a software module image, for example, the following situations may exist:

The installation and operation of the software module image may have corresponding requirements on the hardware resources of the edge device. Therefore, when deploying the software module on the edge device, the hardware requirements information of the software module image and the hardware resource information of the edge device itself need to be considered. For example, if a software module image requires a certain hardware resource, then the software module image must be deployed on an edge device with such hardware resource.

·For the situation that the hardware of some edge devices cannot be directly connected to the IP network, a specific software module can be deployed for the edge device to realize the connection between the edge device and the IP network. For example, for an edge device with a fieldbus, which cannot be directly connected to the IP network, a software interface module can be deployed, which can implement the conversion of the communication protocol, read the fieldbus data from the lower layer and send it to the upper layer of the IP network, and Read the upper-layer IP network data and send it to the edge device.

In addition, for software modules with real-time requirements, a real-time container can be deployed on an edge device with real-time computing capability (a real-time container can be implemented in many different ways, which will not be described in detail here).

Here are a few specific examples: software modules have hardware requirements for edge devices, edge devices need specific software modules to communicate with upper-layer systems, and software modules have real-time requirements to illustrate that deploying software module images on edge devices may encounter problems. to the situation. In addition, users can deploy required software module images on edge devices according to actual needs.

In this specification, a software module of a microservice is called a software module image when it is on a management device, and when a software module image is deployed on an edge device, it is called a software module instance.

In addition to deploying software module images on edge devices, it is also possible to establish connections between instances of software modules with dependencies on a graphical interface. These software module instances may be deployed on one edge device or on different edge devices.

Above through step S104, on the graphical interface of the graphical management tool, the dependency relationship between the edge device and the software module image and between the different software module images is established in a graphical manner.

Next, in step S106, the management device automatically assigns each software module instance deployed on the edge device a port number to be used in actual communication.

If the communication is between two software module instances deployed on different edge devices, the assigned port number is the physical port number of the edge device; if the communication is between two software module instances deployed on the same edge device communication, the assigned port number can be the physical port number of the edge device or the virtual port number of the container on the edge device.

In step S108, a configuration file is generated according to the software module instance deployed on each edge device, the connection relationship between different software module instances on the edge device, and the port number.

The configuration file describes the correspondence between each software module image and the edge device, the connection between different software module instances, and the port numbers for communication between the software module instances.

Through the above process, the configuration file for deploying the software module on the edge device can be obtained, and the software module image can be actually installed on the edge device according to the deployment file.

In an example, the software module deployment method further includes step S110 , according to the configuration file, using a container editing tool to actually deploy the software module image on the management device on the edge device, and create a software module instance on the edge device connection between.

Those skilled in the art can select existing container editing tools in the prior art to deploy software module images as required. For example, when Docker is used as a container to deploy software module images, Docker Compose or Docker Swarm can be used as the container editing tools. The invention does not limit the container and the container editing tool used when deploying the software module image.

After the software module image on the management device is actually installed on the edge device, the software module deployment method further includes step S112, displaying on the graphical interface the running status of the software module instance installed on the edge device, Connection relationship and port number. In this way, users can intuitively understand and monitor the deployment and operation of software modules on edge devices.

Next, a software module deployment method performed on the edge device side according to the second aspect of the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of an exemplary process of a method 200 for deploying a software module on an edge device according to the second aspect of the embodiment of the present invention.

In step S202, the edge device provides its self-describing file to the management device, where the self-describing file at least describes the hardware resource information and software operating environment of the edge device.

As mentioned above, each edge device has a self-describing file, and the self-describing file describes information such as hardware resource information and software operating environment of the edge device itself. The edge device opens access rights to the management device, so that the management device can obtain hardware resource information and software operating environment information of the edge device.

Next, in step S204, the edge device receives and installs the software module image deployed by the management device.

As mentioned above, the management device actually deploys the software module image on the management device on the edge device according to the generated configuration file, and establishes a connection relationship between software module instances on the edge device.

Therefore, after the management device has completed deploying the appropriate software module image on the edge device, the edge device can install the deployed software module instance.

In step S206, the installed software module instance runs communication through the port number assigned by the management device.

Preferably, the software module deployment method 200 further includes step S208: the edge device reports the running state of the software module instance to the management device.

In this way, the running state information of the software module instance on the edge device can be reported to the management device, so that the running state of the software module instance can be monitored on the graphical interface of the management device.

Corresponding to the first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a software module deployment apparatus, where the apparatus is set on a management device. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary configuration of a software module deployment apparatus 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the software module deployment apparatus 300 includes: a self-describing file acquisition unit 302 , a deployment unit 304 , a port number assignment unit 306 and a configuration file generation unit 308 .

Wherein, the self-describing file obtaining unit 302 is configured to obtain a self-describing file of at least one edge device, where the self-describing file at least describes hardware resource information and software operating environment of the edge device;

The deployment unit 304 is configured to deploy the software module image on the appropriate edge device and to establish a connection between different software module instances deployed on the edge device on the graphical interface of the graphical management tool for managing the device according to the user's instruction relation;

The port number assignment unit 306 is configured to automatically assign each software module instance deployed on the edge device a port number to be used for actual communication; and

The configuration file generating unit 308 is configured to generate a configuration file according to the software module instance deployed on each edge device, the connection relationship between different software module instances on the edge device, and the port number.

In an example, the software module deployment apparatus 300 further includes an installation unit 310, and the installation unit 310 is configured to: according to the configuration file, use a container editing tool to actually install the software module image on the management device on the edge device, And a connection relationship between software module instances on the edge device is established.

Wherein, the deployment unit 304 is further configured to: based on at least one of hardware resource information and software operating environment of the edge device, hardware and software requirements of the software module image in the management device, and user requirements Software module images are deployed on appropriate edge devices.

Wherein, the deployment unit 304 is further configured to perform at least one of the following:

In one example, the software module deployment apparatus 300 further includes a monitoring unit 312, which is configured to display the running status, connection relationship and port number of the software module instance installed on the edge device on the graphical interface.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the software module deployment apparatus 300 is set on the management device, and is respectively configured to execute the corresponding steps of the software module deployment method embodiment described above with reference to FIG. 1 . Details of operations and functions may be the same as or similar to relevant parts of the embodiment of the software module deployment method 100 of the present invention described with reference to FIG. 1 , and will not be described in detail here.

It should be noted that the structures of the software module deployment apparatus 300 and its constituent units shown in FIG. 3 are merely exemplary, and those skilled in the art can modify the structural block diagram shown in FIG. 3 as required.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary configuration of an edge computing system 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The edge computing system 400 includes a management device 402, a plurality of edge devices 404-1 and 404-2, and the like. Two edge devices are shown in FIG. 4 , and those skilled in the art can understand that in the edge computing system according to the present invention, the number of edge devices can be any number.

A plurality of software module images 406-A, 406-B and 406-C are stored on the management device 402.

Execute the software module deployment method described above with reference to FIG. 1 on the management device 400, and execute the software module deployment method described above with reference to FIG. Images 406-A, 406-B, and 406-C are each deployed on the appropriate edge device.

For example, software module images 406-A and 406-B are deployed on edge device 404-2, resulting in software module instances 408-A and 408-B, software module image 406-C is deployed on edge device 404-1, A software module instance 408-C is generated.

The specific operation steps may be the same as or similar to the relevant parts of the embodiments of the software module deployment method 100 and the software module deployment method 200 on the edge device of the present invention described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , and will not be described in detail here.

The software module deployment method and apparatus according to the present invention have at least one of the following advantages.

The software module deployment method and apparatus according to the present invention can graphically describe the dependencies between software modules and edge devices, and automatically assign communication port numbers, so that a configuration file can be automatically generated based on the graphically described dependencies for use in Container deployment saves a lot of work in writing configuration files.

The software module deployment method and apparatus according to the present invention can be adapted to the specific requirements of edge devices and software modules in the field of industrial applications.

The software module deployment method and device according to the present invention can also monitor the deployment and running status of the software module intuitively.

As above, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 , the software module deployment method and apparatus according to the embodiments of the present disclosure are described. Each unit of the above-mentioned software module deployment apparatus may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by software or a combination of hardware and software.

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of a computing device 500 for implementing information processing in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. According to one embodiment, computing device 500 may include at least one processor 502 that executes at least one computer-readable instruction (ie, the above-described in software form) stored or encoded in a computer-readable storage medium (ie, memory 804 ). implemented elements).

It should be understood that the computer-executable instructions stored in memory 504, when executed, cause at least one processor 802 to perform various operations and functions described above in connection with FIGS. 1-3 in various embodiments of the present disclosure.

According to one embodiment, a non-transitory machine-readable medium is provided. The non-transitory machine-readable medium may have machine-executable instructions (ie, the above-described elements implemented in software) that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform various embodiments of the present disclosure above in conjunction with FIGS. 1-3 Various operations and functions are described.

According to one embodiment, there is provided a computer program comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform each of the various embodiments of the present disclosure described above in connection with FIGS. 1-3 . operations and functions.

According to one embodiment, there is provided a computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform the various embodiments of the present disclosure described above in connection with FIGS. 1-3 Various operations and functions.

It should be understood that, each embodiment in this specification is described in a progressive manner, and the same or similar parts between the various embodiments may be referred to each other, and each embodiment is mainly described with respect to other embodiments. the difference. For example, for the above-mentioned embodiments about the apparatus, the embodiment about the computing device, and the embodiment about the machine-readable storage medium, since they are basically similar to the method embodiments, the descriptions are relatively simple, and the relevant details refer to the method implementation Part of the example can be explained.

Specific embodiments of the present specification have been described above. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps recited in the claims can be performed in an order different from that in the embodiments and still achieve desirable results. Additionally, the processes depicted in the figures do not necessarily require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are also possible or may be advantageous.

Not all steps and units in the above processes and system structure diagrams are necessary, and some steps or units may be omitted according to actual needs. The device structure described in the above embodiments may be a physical structure or a logical structure, that is, some units may be implemented by the same physical entity, or some units may be implemented by multiple physical entities respectively, or may be implemented by multiple physical entities. Some components in separate devices are implemented together.

The detailed description set forth above in connection with the accompanying drawings describes exemplary embodiments and does not represent all embodiments that may be implemented or fall within the scope of the claims. The term "exemplary" as used throughout this specification means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration" and does not mean "preferred" or "advantage" over other embodiments. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of the described technology. However, these techniques may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described embodiments.

The above description of the present disclosure is provided to enable any person of ordinary skill in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to this disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of this disclosure . Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

The above descriptions are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included in the scope of the present invention. within the scope of protection.

Claims

Software module deployment methods, including:

The management device acquires a self-describing file of at least one edge device, where the self-describing file at least describes hardware resource information and software operating environment of the edge device;

On the graphical interface of the graphical management tool of the management device, deploy the software module image on an appropriate edge device and establish a connection relationship between different software module instances deployed on the edge device;

The management device automatically assigns each software module instance deployed on the edge device a port number to be used for actual communication; and

The configuration file is generated according to the software module instance deployed on each edge device, the connection relationship between different software module instances on the edge device, and the port number.
The method according to claim 1, further comprising: according to the configuration file, using a container editing tool to actually install the software module image on the management device on the edge device, and establishing a relationship between the software module instances on the edge device connection relationship.
The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein deploying the software module image on an appropriate edge device comprises: based on the hardware resource information and software operating environment of the edge device, the software module image in the management device is suitable for At least one of hardware and software requirements and user requirements deploy the software module image on the appropriate edge device.
The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein deploying the software module image on an appropriate edge device comprises at least one of the following:

Deploying a software module image that requires specific hardware resources on the edge device with the specific hardware resources;

Deploy a software module image capable of implementing communication protocol conversion for edge devices that cannot be connected to IP networks; and

Deploy software module images with real-time requirements on edge devices with real-time computing capabilities.
The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: displaying the running status, connection relationship and port number of the software module instance installed on the edge device on the graphical interface.
Methods of deploying software modules on edge devices, including:

The edge device provides its self-describing file to the management device, and the self-describing file at least describes the hardware resource information and software operating environment of the edge device;

The edge device receives and installs the software module image deployed by the management device; and

The installed software module instance runs communication through the port number assigned by the management device.
The method of claim 6, further comprising: the edge device reporting the running state of the software module instance to the management device.
A software module deployment device (300), set on the management device, includes:

A self-describing file obtaining unit (302) is configured to obtain a self-describing file of at least one edge device, where the self-describing file at least describes hardware resource information and software operating environment of the edge device;

The deployment unit (304) is configured to deploy the software module image on the appropriate edge device on the graphical interface of the graphical management tool for managing the device according to the user's instruction and to establish an instance of different software modules deployed on the edge device. connection between

a port number assignment unit (306) configured to automatically assign each software module instance deployed on the edge device a port number to be used for actual communication; and

A configuration file generating unit (308) is configured to generate a configuration file according to the software module instance deployed on each edge device, the connection relationship between different software module instances on the edge device, and the port number.
The apparatus (300) according to claim 8, further comprising an installation unit (310) configured to: according to the configuration file, use a container editing tool to actually install the software module image on the management device on the edge device , and establish the connection relationship between the software module instances on the edge device.
The apparatus (300) according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the deployment unit (304) is further configured to: based on the hardware resource information and software operating environment of the edge device, a software module in the management device At least one of hardware and software requirements of the image and user requirements deploys the software module image on an appropriate edge device.
The apparatus (300) of claim 8 or 9, wherein the deployment unit (304) is further configured to perform at least one of the following:

Deploying a software module image that requires specific hardware resources on the edge device with the specific hardware resources;

Deploy a software module image capable of implementing communication protocol conversion for edge devices that cannot be connected to IP networks; and

Deploy software module images with real-time requirements on edge devices with real-time computing capabilities.
The apparatus (300) according to claim 8 or 9, further comprising a monitoring unit (312) configured to display, on the graphical interface, the running status, connection relationship and The port number.
An edge computing system (400), comprising: a management device (402) and at least one edge device (404-1, 404-2), wherein the management device (402) according to the method according to claims 1-5 Software modules are deployed on the at least one edge device (404-1, 404-2).
A computing device (500) comprising:

at least one processor (502); and

a memory (504) coupled to the at least one processor (502) for storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor (502), cause the processor (802) ) to perform a method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5.
A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing executable instructions which, when executed, cause the machine to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 5.
A computer program comprising computer-executable instructions which, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 5.
A computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium and comprising computer-executable instructions which, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform the execution according to claims 1 to 5 any of the methods described in .